If a lute's all you've got, strum away with impunity!
Quoting Sean Smith <lutesm...@mac.com>:
I think they're doable on lute plucked as usual although a ren
guitar or a cittern would be more suitable for strumming, IMHO.
Sean
On Oct 31, 2011, at 3:56 PM, Stuart Walsh <s.wa...@ntlworld.com> wrote:
How would a strummer strum chords to these tunes composed
(arranged?) by Gervaise in the 1550s?
http://www.pluckedturkeys.co.uk/Gervaise/
They are strong melodies (Poulenc arranged some Gervaise dances for
piano - but not these particular tunes). Maybe you just strum a
chord according to the bass line. It's easy enough to work out what
each chord would be. But playing at speed it would be formidably
difficult to actually play them unless you were a Freddy Green-type
professional. These Gervaise arrangements are in four parts and, as
it stands, the bass is very easy to play as a single note. But
really not so easy at all when the chords are changing very quickly.
But it's often said that strummers strummed in these, and even
earlier, times. And, if so, surely they would have strummed to
accompany tunes like this. Would they have strummed a chord for
each note as dictated by the rules of four part harmony? Or
something simpler - but potentially more rhythmic?
Stuart
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